Thanksgiving break is over and we head back to school on Monday. I hope you all had a chance to rest, reflect, be with family and best of all eat!
The next couple of weeks heading to winter break can be quite challenging for everyone. So, this "Sunday Night Motivation" (which was written on Saturday morning while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie... but no judgement)...
focuses on relationships!
Here are some strategies to build character, trust and most of all joy in your classrooms. I like them because they remind me of Fast Llama behaviors.
Positive Framing - Guide students to do better work while motivating them by using a positive tone to deliver constructive feedback.
Use phrases such as, "David, show me your best!" not, "David, you're not doing your best".
"David, check yourself to make sure you're sitting up!" " Show me your SLANT" Not, "your not slanting".
"Kara, I need your eyes forward" (instead of "Kara, turn around")
"Students, use this strategy to help you level up" not, "students, you are not studying hard enough"
"today is great day, John", not, "we aren't gonna have the same day as yesterday, John"
Assume the best in your students , but, do not narrate mediocrity. Getting attention of class, narrate what you see... say "I need three people. Thank you for fixing that, Steven. Now we are almost ready. Ah, now we are there, so let's begin."
Precise Praise - Make positive reinforcement strategic. Differentiate between praise and acknowledgment. Acknowledge meeting expectations, praise when they exceed it. Keep acknowledgements equal. Avoid saying, "great answer" to one kid and saying "excellent answer" to another. Power whooshes from Quantum Learning are a great way to get the whole class to acknowledge effort. Train the students to say "1,2,3... clap clap clap, insert phrase then say whoosh toward recipient" You are sending all that positive energy to the person! Like everything, it takes training and consistency to get power whooshes to be effective.
Warm/Strict ad Emotional Constancy all follow along with Doug Curry's Llama ideals of being nice, but, nice is not soft. Nice can change lives, because we hold kids accountable but don't make them pay.
Warm - positive, enthusiastic, caring, thoughtful and Strict - being clear, consistent, firm and unrelenting are a super great combination...
explain to student why you are doing what your are doing - "Steven, we don't do that in the classroom, because it keeps is from making the most of our time"
distinguish between behavior and the person - what they did was inconsiderate, not the person
consequences are temporary - serve your consequence and move on
nonverbal - bend down to talk to a kid
Don't act surprised that a student got an answer correct, so don't make a big gesture at praising
don't let students get to you, see you are frustrated or angry. Don't yell, students love when you get angry, it distracts you and turns the attention away from the learning. some kids just want to make you angry, don't pick up the rope
Joy Factor - Celebrate the effort and work of learning, use humor, novelty and fun. Laugh with your students, be happy they are here at school today, make sure they know it.
References:
Lemov, D. (2011). Teach like a champion: the complete handbook to master the art of teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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